'Horrendous' roadworks in Clayton-le-moors wreaking havoc

Four-way temporary traffic lights have been placed in Clayton-le-Moors at one of “Lancashire’s busiest junctions” outside the Hare and Hounds pub.

The works, which a councillor has said should be halted, are causing tailbacks in all directions with businesses having to suspend deliveries because of the congestion.

Cadent Gas, which is carrying out the works, apologised for unclear communications around the works, which it said are more complicated than initially expected, but it is aiming to reduce the impact on traffic.

Nigel O’Rourke, from Open All Flowers in Whalley Road, says he received a letter on September 9 that stated ‘extensive’ road works would be taking place for five weeks, yet six weeks later the disruption is still ongoing and worse than ever.

Nigel is angry with the management of the roadworks (Image: NQ) He said: “They have been going on for more than five weeks now and we’re nowhere near to them being done.

“I’m not against them doing road improvements but since they have brought in these temporary lights we’ve had really bad congestion. It’s badly planned.”

Nigel, plus other business owners, he said, have had to suspend deliveries.

HGVs navigating the disruption (Image: NQ) He added: “We’ve got signs up warning of a 10k run, which will probably cause traffic for 40 minutes, that’s comic because there is no mention of the delays we have all day anyway.”

To make matters worse, housing development is taking place near Whalley Road meaning HGVs that are delivering materials are having to negotiate tight turns while the carriageway is gridlocked.

A Londis shopkeeper in Whalley Road said: “I nipped home to get something the other day and it took 45 minutes, so my shop was left completely unattended.

(Image: NQ) “I live in Barnes Street so it should only take two minutes.”

She added: “The traffic is horrendous, especially around school pick-up time, it’s just a mess.

“Quite a lot of my elderly customers have trouble crossing because there are so many cars.”

Clayton-le-Moors resident Edgar Rushton said: “It’s a problem all day, every day.

(Image: NQ) The works on Burnley Road“You’ve got to try and avoid this junction and take other routes.”

A number of bus stops along Whalley Road and Burnley Road have been suspended as a result of the disruption.

Clayton-le-Moors' Councillor Melissa Fisher said: “As a resident and councillor in Clayton-le-Moors, I have been deeply concerned about the disruption these roadworks have caused.

(Image: NQ) “I would like to insist they are removed or modified immediately to get the traffic flowing freely again.

“Whalley Road is one of the busiest in Lancashire and to place four-way temporary traffic lights at this junction is, in my opinion, poorly thought out and irresponsible.

Traffic queuing at the roadworks (Image: NQ) “Most people appreciate that roadworks are sometimes necessary for repairs etc, but these works have caused nothing but stress and inconvenience to people trying to get to work and take children to school etc.

(Image: NQ) “It must also be having a massive impact on local businesses, care workers in the community, taxis, buses, delivery drivers and so on.

“I genuinely hope that the roadworks are completed as soon as possible and Lancashire County Council take on board the number of complaints received then seriously review their traffic management policies. This is just not good enough for members of the public.”

Lancashire County Council was approached for comment but it said Cadent, which is carrying out the work, should be contacted with concerns.

Mark Syers, head of investment planning (North West) at Cadent, said: "I've looked into this and must apologise for how we've communicated these works, which isn't to the standard our customers rightly expect.

"The work we're doing here is part of a big upgrade of the North West gas network - investing in new distribution pipes to keep gas flowing safely and reliably to local homes and other buildings for warmth in winter.

"We scheduled this work to start early in August, during the summer holidays, and originally planned to begin in Whalley Road and move onto Burnley Road. 

"However, the Whalley Road section presented some engineering challenges that will need us to redesign that scheme. 

"We made a decision to progress only with the Burnley Road section, which we replanned and started in the first week of September.

"This is a wide road and, for the most part, we have not needed any traffic management; we could accommodate our work and keep traffic flowing in both directions. 

"The situation was always going to change as we got nearer to the Whalley Road junction, where we've had to take the pipe from one side of the road to the other.

"This meant we needed traffic lights to safely manage everything. These will now be in place until the end of work, which is scheduled for around November 9.

"We had a meeting with the local authority and police representatives last week, and agreed to make some changes to the site layout, which should make traffic flow better from now on. 

"We'll use digital display boards to confirm our timetable through to the end of work and have a customer team visiting properties in the area every week, to provide updates and assist where we can."